If We Are What We Eat, Then How Do Our Kids Survive?

As the mother of a food allergic kid, I know what it's like to anger people by requesting they make changes in how they eat or prepare food. Food is primal, and requesting changes about something primal is hard. 

I've been on the food allergy road already, and it's not easy, I'm on it, 24/7.
(I founded the blog Parents of Severely Peanut Allergic Kids  as on a successful group on Facebook.) However, right now I'm talking about something very different, and not really connected to those issues, I'm talking about changing how we feed children in schools.  I'm talking about why we need to teach them about food and nutrition earlier than in high school.

The reality is, the school lunches they're serving the kids roughly 180 days a year are unhealthy and actually hurting our children, and it's not the school cafeteria's fault, it's the state and federally mandated choices that are in 
need of rethinking.

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Jamie Oliver is also requesting our signatures for making a change in schools which you can do so by clicking here 


We need to change how we teach or inspire children early on, in order to effectively teach them how to have a healthy relationship with food.  We need to begin teaching "Nutrition classes" not as late as 9th grade, but in elementary school.  

We also need to begin our own new food education at home.  This is going to be hard.  We all are so busy and tired and frankly spoiled by the vast temptations to make our meals easy and tasty along with our need to cut corners financially as well -- and this is going to be hard to do.  But, we need to.

We need to develop an "alternative food lifestyle:" Meaning getting excited about growing our own food at home, and becoming involved with how to prepare and serve it.  This can be revolutionary and creative.  It can be something vital to our culture.  When's the last time you cooked with your child?  I don't feel like I do nearly enough of this, ever.  But this is my failing.  And I really want to change this about my life, and, hey!  I'd love company on this journey.

And as far as changing what they teach kids in school?  It can't be that hard to return to a few good ideas that used to be in place.  Remember hearing about those Home Ec classes in the '60s and '70s?  Those were a great idea!  But back then I believe those classes were mostly offered to girls. Well, we need to marry the best of that with what Jamie Oliver is talking about, but offer it to all children.  (Along with teaching auto mechanics to all kids, too.  And Home Economics, including how to balance a simple budget.  Come on, folks!  These are just common sense changes, I'm talking about.)

My point is similar to what celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is urging us to think about in his video below: To teach kids to really, deeply understand and care about what they eat, and how to prepare delicious food and understand how food and nutrition go hand-in-hand, in order to raise happier, healthier people, is so vital.  This seems, to me, to be a great investment in our future.  

If our kids are educated about food and health, they may end up being that much more understanding about food allergies, too.  I am hoping a complete education about the power of food and human survival will, at the least, cast a spotlight on something all chefs and food service people need to consider: There is a mysterious and tragic rise in the demographic of those born with severe food allergies.  Nobody can prove why, yet, but until we can prevent it happening, we have to remain compassionate about those who are not only trying to eat healthily, but also remain alive while eating to survive, too.  

I have to believe all dialogue about food and health with children will lead to a greater understanding about all aspects of our survival, for children are naturally the most creative and compassionate people on the planet.

Death, by way of obesity, or any other obesity-related disease, is a slow yet inevitable way to shorten lives; Food allergies are an extremely violent and rapid way to do so, too.  Both involve the same concept: Eating something we should not eat, a simple mistake that could so easily have been avoided with just a bit of education and awareness. That's all I'm saying.

So, that's my goal, my wish for our future:  That we all find the strength and determination to make positive change in our habits, and in our schools, for our children's lives (and each others lives) before it's too late.  

A truly loving choice is to walk the talk and make some bold, new changes to how we eat and what we serve our children.

What I've learned is that food remains a primal issue for everyone.  And it's a  "life or death" issue as well, whether or not one has a fatal food allergy.

My point is, teaching our children what to eat (and why) could end up being life-saving lesson for all of us.

Watch what Chef Jamie Oliver has to say!